I have a nail hole in my tire that I can't seem to stop it from leaking. It's right at the edge of the thread. I have put as many as three plugs in it only to get it to temporarily stop... each time I've tried it will start leaking again after driving it for a couple weeks. Yes I've tried to fix it a couple time :o

If I use the spare tire (which is new) in place of this one (all others have around 50% tread left) until I wear the other out enough for replacement will it hurt anything? I have the limited slip rear if it matters.

 

No you should be fine. You might have some funny wear pattern on the spare but it's not going to cause you to flip roll slide and crash to your doom. Just keep in mind now you don't have a spare. If i were you I would go to a used tire place and just get cheap tire to use as a spare for the spare.

 

lol, Only reason I ask is because of the tire height difference. I was thinking it may cause a problem with the limited slip (overworking it a little) since one tire is gonna be spinning faster than the other all the time.

 

WRONG

this can and will cause damage to your LS. if you must do this, put the new tire on the front and make sure both of the rears are the same size.

the LS works on friction...this friction is caused by the difference in speed the wheels spin. having 1 tire taller than the other will cause your friction discs to constantly be grabbing.

and then you'll have a shorter clutch pak life.



your best bet is to just buy 1 more tire that matches your spare, or buy 2 brand new tires and keep the spare under the bed. You're looking at probably 10,000 to 20,000 miles before you wear out your tires...I can only imagine what kind of damage that would do to your rear-end.

also, the sucky side of putting the spare up front is that it will cause the truck to pull to one side whenever driving.

 

Thanks that's what I was thinking.

 

my suggestion would be to buy 1 new tire. then put that tire along with the new spare on the rear. and the other left over good tire used as a spare.

 

Doesn't the clutch pack operate every time you turn your steering wheel? I don't drive down too many perfectly straight roads, and while you are correct in theory, I think you'd need laboratory testing to tell the difference in clutch pack life span.

 

it does, but at a very reduced rate. on a very new LS that is set very tightly, you can feel it grabbing on all turns. a little driving and the clutch pack will loosen to allow for a little slip on turns, but will still grab tightly when bigger wheel spin occurs.

and often, when turning the difference in wheel speed won't be great. using a new spare with a 50% worn tire can be as much as 1/2" of tread height difference. in that case the tire is always spinning slower than the 1/2 worn tire and the clutch packs are always trying to grab.


I have a AWD Durango as my other vehicle. The owners manual is very specific about using the exact same tires on all 4 corners, and replacing them as a set. It says to minimize use of the spare and only drive on it during an emergency to prevent system damage. Same basic principle, except the clutch packs are in the t-case in a AWD vs. the rear axle



sorry if I came off a bit harch No Longer Jeepin'

 

I agree. cheapest and most effective method. That way when you buy new tires, you only need 2 new ones

I usually end of doing that method myself with my "fun" and cheap cars. about every 2 yrs I buy 2 new tires and keep the 2 best ones. I keep 1 of the "bad" ones as a spare, and the other 2 get junked.

best part is, you get to minimize costs at 1 time

 

Why don't you take it to a tire shop and have it fixed correctly, from the inside? Cheaper than a new tire, and safer than plugs.

 

if its past the tire tread they wont(or shouldnt)repair the tire anyways.

 

i work at a tire center and the best way to do it is a plug and patch. (im not saying im an expert) that is all we do. we will not put only a plug or patch on. i would try that route before new tire.

 

It's right at the outer edge of the tread. The shops around here won't patch or plug any tire that has a hole in the outer or last row of tread.

 

offer to pay in cash

I can do it.

But i tell the customer that if something happens it's not my problem and i recommend the replace the tire ASAP

I guy at my shop had 3 patchplugs halfway on the side wall for 50k miles with no problems

 

you and your shop are looking for a liabilty lawsuit when you patch a tire that has a hole in the outer edge.

they aren't safe, and the OP would be safer with just replacing it